Drusian Adherents
“Raise high the Drusian standard! Chant loudly the warrior’s prayer! Know well the Abenican prophesies! Take up the Saint’s crusade and do the God-Emperor’s work in the Expanse! To do less is to be damned.” —Domingus Quall, Lord-Captain of the Sanctus Vesica Throughout the Calixis Sector there is no figure, save the God-Emperor himself, more revered than Saint Drusus. A warrior without peer, Saint Drusus lead the Angevin Crusade to victory, bringing the Emperor’s light to the Calyx Expanse, transforming it into the Calixis Sector as men know it today. The Saint attracted many followers in his lifetime, and a sizeable Ministorum cult continues to venerate Drusus and his deeds. Among the faithful, there are those who believe the Saint’s mission ended in the year 384.M39, when the Angevin Crusade was officially called to a close. There are others who claim that the crusade can never end, for as long as there are worlds to conquer, the works of Saint Drusus remain unfinished. It is from this doctrinal schism that the first Drusian Dissidents were born. When the Koronus Passage opened, an event prophesied in Drusian chronicles by the seer Abenicus, the Dissidents gave rise to a new faction. The Drusian Adherents, as they came to be known, did not pore over musty tomes of saintly lore and engage in theosophical debate. Instead, they armed themselves and drove deep into the Expanse, eager to claim new worlds and tame wilderness space in the name of Saint Drusus. Drusian Adherents are driven by fanatical devotion to their patron Saint, and by the belief that every citizen has a sacred duty to push the borders of the Empire outward, braving hostile environments, indigenous xenos races, and uncultured heathens. For a Drusian, there is no respite from the Saint’s crusade. Every world, from looming gas giants to airless icy moons, must be touched by the God-Emperor’s light and claimed with the Drusian standard. With the Koronus Passage open, disparate Adherents gather at Port Wander, forming ramshackle armies eager to march into the Expanse and prove both their devotion and the righteousness of their cause. Adherents are often asked if Saint Drusus had meant for the crusade to continue, why would he have called it to a close? Adherents of a pragmatic nature typically answer that their Saint was forced to end the crusade prematurely by order of the High Lords of Terra, making the cessation a political necessity. Others posit that Saint Drusus intentionally left worlds unconquered so that future generations could be tested in the crucible of war. A third explanation claims that the declaration of the end of the Angevin Crusade was meant to be temporary, Drusus intending to resume his conquest after consolidating his gains in the Calyx Expanse, and that the Saint’s death prevented a glorious return to the field of battle. The path of the Drusian Adherent has broad appeal, attracting devotees from the lowest death world dregs to ambitious nobles of the highest spires. The faith is also popular amongst Rogue Traders and their crews, both those who view profit and conquest as a God-Emperor-given right, and those looking for an army of crusaders to bolster their own mercenary forces. Regrettably, for every Adherent of high standing there is a charlatan eager to exploit the faithful for personal gain. For their part, the Adherents care little, so long as they tread upon alien worlds, cleansing them with bolter and chainsword as Drusus did in his day. 'Becoming a Drusian Adherent' For men of faith, becoming a Drusian Adherent is a simple matter. One need only take up the standard of Saint Drusus and pledge their life in service to the unending crusade. But to truly call oneself worthy of the Drusian ideal, these words must be backed by action. The Adherent must be more than willing---he must also be able to carry out the sacrament of conquest. A Drusian Adherent does not sit within a command center directing his brethren from afar. The true Adherent marches proudly into the fray, reveling in the act of physical confrontation, and knowing beyond any doubt that if he dies, he dies in glory, at last worthy of Drusus’ blessing. Required Career: Any, except Astropath Transcendent, Explorator, or any form of xenos. Alternate Rank: 1 or higher (5,000 XP) Other Requirements: The character may have no more than 10 Corruption Points when this career is taken. Note: Although this Rank has the option of replacing the first Rank of a Career, it does not re-list any starting Skills and Talents. All Skills and Talents listed here are in addition to starting Skills and Talents the Career may contain.